[intel8052]

So I was chatting with my brother earlier and he mentioned that he might like a pair of speakers for his computer for Xmas. Not wanting to get him something super cheap, I went ahead and contacted a 2nd brother to see if he wanted to combine our gifts and buy the kid a decent set of speakers. Got the OK on that... but the problem is that my family tends to limit our xmas gifts to the $40ish price range... On top of that the 2nd brother I referenced is in college and somewhat tight on funds but I figure we can stretch our combined budget to $100.
 
First things first, the kid we're buying for is no audiophile. He currently uses the speakers that are built into his laptop or a set of beats headphones he got for xmas a year or two ago so that alone should tell you that he doesn't need anything amazing to be pleased... but at the same time I'd like to get him something decent that will last him for a few years and work well in his college dorm room (he goes to college next year)
 
Any recommendations?
 
As far as research I've done:
 
I'd love to pick up a set of the Kilpsch promedia 2.1s as they seem to be some of the best budget 2.1 speakers per reviews that I've read but I can't find those for less than $150. Sadly I can't stretch the budget for that extra $50 so those are out.
 
Otherwise I was debating between a set of logitech Z623s (ugh, logitech - I know) or a pair of Polk T15s.
 
Polk T15s: $100 but would require an amp. Pros: Reviews seem to be very promising for the price. Cons: Requires a separate amp.
If someone can recommend an inexpensive (~$30-$50) amp, I might be able to convince him to buy himself an amp if we got him the speakers... I could let him use an old Sony receiver I have for the time being to get him up and running, but will need that back before next summer when I will be using it in a backyard theater system I have planned, so he will have to buy himself an amp.
 
Logitech Z623s: $100 Pros: Amplified & ready to go out of the box, separate subwoofer, several inputs for his computer/Ipod/etc. Cons: Probably mediocre at best.
That said I started off with a logitech Z5500 system which was more than enough back when I was living in a college dorm room so I figure the 200W 2.1 Logitech system might be fine for his taste for a year or two at least... particularly since he is used to standard consumer audio stuff at best. I figure if he grows out of these in a year or two then I could try to get him into some higher grade audio stuff...
 
Thanks!

 

[Ch1Kn]

Trust me i've gone down this road you'll spend hours and eventually find that the promedias are the only ones worth it. In us you could easily get them for around 100$ i live in canada and got mine for 130$
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00154H1T8/ref=sr_1_4_olp?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1354497503&sr=1-4&keywords=promedia+2.12&condition=used
 
trust me i got mine used from amazon.ca and it was worth every penny. They came in without a scratch your friend won't notice
 
and most people consider the promedias to be the best pc speakers ever made and fact is they probably are. Still competing with speakers years after they were made
 
Btw, i was also looking at the harmon karmon soundsticks 2 when deciding what speakers to get but couldent find them for under 200$ in canada, but you could easily get them under 150$ in us. You should look them up

 

[intel8052]

Thanks. Guess I'll shop around a bit more for the promedias then. But if I do go through Amazon I'll def buy new. 
 
It would end up being $120-$130 for used promedias (after shipping) or $150 for new (free shipping) - I'd def pay the extra $20 for the peace of mind for knowing I got new speakers.
 
Maybe I'll start to keep an eye on craigslist too... see if I can't get some higher end speakers used there.

 

[TrollDragon]

You also might want to have a look at this, Guttenberg gave it high praise...
Build your own desktop stereo for under $70
 
Its only 2.0 but the separate amplifier will add some to the cool factor.

 

[intel8052]

Quote:

You also might want to have a look at this, Guttenberg gave it high praise...
Build your own desktop stereo for under $70
 
Its only 2.0 but the separate amplifier will add some to the cool factor.

Thanks! This is the type of recommendation I was really hoping for.
 
That said, on one hand I think he would really like it. On the other hand I wonder if he, as a more typical consumer, would be more interested in a more bass heavy system like the logitechs... but we'll see.
 
I might have to get him this one and if he isn't impressed I'll take it bacl as a workbench system for myself and get him some cheap 2.1 system in exchange. 

 

[cel4145]

The Lepai and passive speakers is a good way to go. Then your brother can always add a sub later on if he wants more bass. 

 

[intel8052]

Quote:

The Lepai and passive speakers is a good way to go. Then your brother can always add a sub later on if he wants more bass. 

Definitely. I just got to talking to him about it and decided we'd discuss further... then I found out that he could add a Dayton Sub-1000 later on down the road if he really wanted and that pretty much sealed the deal.
 
Also got back in touch with brother #2 and found out taht he would be willign to throw a bit in towards the Lepai so unless something else comes up this looks like the route we'll be taking. Thanks folks! Sounds like it should be a below budget yet above-average system with the potential to expand later if my brother wants to do so... best of both worlds!

 

[PurpleAngel]

The Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 will sometimes be on sale at BestBuy for $99
Used ones on eBay will sometimes sell for $65-$75.
 
The Lepai amp with passive speakers (Dayton Audio B652) which are $29 each, $58 for 2 speakers, seems to be well like by it's users.
But about the only sub-woofer you could add to it later on is the Dayton audio sub-woofer ($99 or more), a few Polk audio sub-woofers might also work.
Or you could buy a receiver, which means you could add just about any sub-woofer you like.

 

[jaddie]

Spend just a tad more and get the Audyssey Lower East Side Media Speakers.  $128, Amazon Prime.  I got two pairs of these when they showed up on Woot at $79/pair.  They're simply the best computer-form speakers I've heard at any price.  They include Audyssey processing, and Audyssey Dynamic Volume.  

 

[TrollDragon]

Dejavu starting to kick in... Just waiting for the BS21 / mini-X a-100 discussion to start...

 

[intel8052]

Quote:

The Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 will sometimes be on sale at BestBuy for $99
Used ones on eBay will sometimes sell for $65-$75.
 
The Lepai amp with passive speakers (Dayton Audio B652) which are $29 each, $58 for 2 speakers, seems to be well like by it's users.
But about the only sub-woofer you could add to it later on is the Dayton audio sub-woofer ($99 or more), a few Polk audio sub-woofers might also work.
Or you could buy a receiver, which means you could add just about any sub-woofer you like.

I'll have to keep an eye on bestbuy's sales then. Thanks for that info. At least the Lepai/Dayton speakers on Amazon are eligible for amazon prime so I can order last minute and still get them delivered on time 

 
I understand that using a Lepai would limit the options he had for adding a sub... but I'm pretty sure that's not an issue. He's not really looking for any top of the line system or anything. Quite frankly I probably could have bought the kid a $50 2.0 or 2.1 system and he would have been absolutely thrilled. I did sit down and chat with him about whether he would want to add a receiver at a later date and it was just that... something he'd consider at a later date. I also mentioned that he could always add a USB DAC to improve SQ a bit after the fact which was way above his head, but then he went on to ask about that and wanted to learn. Good stuff I suppose.
 
So yeah... he would have been pleased with some run-of-the-mill sound system but I know how most of the consumer oriented stuff can be super overpriced for the rubbish you get... I figured I'd come here to try and find some lesser know budget system. Sounds like I might have just that.

 

[TrollDragon]

Be sure to let us know how you make out with the Dayton / Lepai setup!

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Tapatalk 2

 

[cel4145]

Quote:

I'll have to keep an eye on bestbuy's sales then. Thanks for that info. At least the Lepai/Dayton speakers on Amazon are eligible for amazon prime so I can order last minute and still get them delivered on time 

 
I understand that using a Lepai would limit the options he had for adding a sub... but I'm pretty sure that's not an issue. He's not really looking for any top of the line system or anything. Quite frankly I probably could have bought the kid a $50 2.0 or 2.1 system and he would have been absolutely thrilled. I did sit down and chat with him about whether he would want to add a receiver at a later date and it was just that... something he'd consider at a later date. I also mentioned that he could always add a USB DAC to improve SQ a bit after the fact which was way above his head, but then he went on to ask about that and wanted to learn. Good stuff I suppose.
 
So yeah... he would have been pleased with some run-of-the-mill sound system but I know how most of the consumer oriented stuff can be super overpriced for the rubbish you get... I figured I'd come here to try and find some lesser know budget system. Sounds like I might have just that.

 
The Klipsch Promedia 2.1 were already on special at BestBuy for Black Friday. Maybe they will put them on sale again. 
 
The Lepai is not too restricting on sub options. Best to use a sub that has both speaker level inputs and outputs if one wants to use the volume on the Lepai to control the volume of the system. Otherwise, if your brother uses Windows volume control to control the volume, then any sub with both left and right RCA inputs will do. Most budget subwoofers will have that.